SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 6, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Wildlife officials have released the official poacher headcount at 1,283 wildlife illegally killed in Utah in 2022, about a ten percent increase.
The illegal death toll included 179 deer, 134 elk, 14 cougars, five moose, a bear and a mountain goat, according to Thursday’s press release from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
The numbers also tally 782 fish illegally taken. Rounding out the count were small game animals, waterfowl and a variety of other species. “The total combined value of the wildlife illegally killed last year was approximately $609,561.”
A total of 1,153 wild animals were illegally killed in Utah in 2021, the DWR said, valued at more than $610,000, a higher economic sum because several of the big game kills were classified as “trophy” size.
In 2020, a total of 1,079 animals – valued at over $387,000 – were killed illegally in the state. In 2019, a total of 1,065 animals were taken unlawfully, with a combined value of more than $384,000.
In 2022, 4,074 citations were issued, according to the press release, a slight decrease from the 4,394 citations issued in 2021. Last year, individuals were most often cited for fishing without a valid license.
In 2022, 66 people had their hunting or fishing privileges suspended in Utah, compared to 54 suspensions in 2021 and 35 in 2020, the DWR said.. In 2019, the hunting or fishing privileges for 84 people were suspended. Utah is a member state of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. License suspensions in Utah are recognized in all the other states in the U.S., except Hawaii.
“Each animal that is illegally killed in our state is one less animal for legal hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and everyday residents to enjoy,” DWR Capt. Chad Bettridge said. “Poachers steal our ability to enjoy Utah’s wildlife.”
Here are the various ways you can report illegal or suspicious wildlife activities:
Call the Utah Turn-in-a-Poacher hotline at 1-800-662-3337. (The UTiP hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is the quickest way to report a wildlife violation. The number is also printed on your hunting and fishing licenses.)
Use the UTDWR Law Enforcement app.
Text officers at 847411.
Report online through the DWR website.
The text line was implemented in 2021, and 567 tips were submitted through it last year, many of which resulted in successful investigations and prosecutions of wildlife-related crimes. The hotline number received 1,010 tips this year.
“Our officers can’t be everywhere at once, so we need your help,” Bettridge said.
“Please keep your eyes and ears open and report any suspicious wildlife-related activity to us. Working together, we can enforce wildlife laws to maintain healthy populations, and to also keep those recreating outdoors safe.”
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